The Kids Aren't Alright
by ace.striker
Summary: Sid and Mira take in a child with blue eyes and a tattoo on his arm. An expansion of sorts on events in the manga. SPOILERS FOR CHAPTER 57. Also be on the lookout for a bit of Sid/Mira.


This was just something I felt like writing. I really loved chapter 57 if only because of the fact that we learned that Sid ended up taking care of Black Star when he was a kid. I love expanding on characters and all that stuff, and I also love Sid/Nygus. That's pretty much the motivation behind this little story, haha. Emjoi.

Also, I have no clue how old Sid really is, but when he found Black Star, Spirit was about 18, and I can't imagine that Sid would have been much older than him, judging on how young he looked when he was, uh, alive, haha. So no, I can't confirm that Sid is canonically 20 years old, but that's about what I'd think he is.

* * *

"What are you going to do with him?"

"I don't know, Mira." He always called her by her first name whenever he had a lot on his mind.

"I think you should keep him," she said, playfully twirling her index finger in front of the infant's face, who lay swaddled in a mess of blue sheets, cradled in Sid's arms as carefully as he was able. Even a no-nonsense woman like Nygus couldn't keep herself from wanting to make the little boy smile.

"You sure do like this kid, don't you?" Sid said, more as a statement than an actual question, and chuckled as he learned that Mira Nygus had a soft spot for babies.

"Well, you can't argue with the fact that he's cute," she replied, lightly jabbing Sid in his side for laughing at her, "but I feel sorry for him, too." She looked down at the baby as her expression turned somber. "He'll never know his real family." Nygus let the child grasp her index finger with his fat little hand, and he began to examine it curiously.

"I wouldn't say that's a bad thing," Sid grunted. "The Hoshizoku clan would have only bred him to become another killer." He shifted his seat on the olive-colored canvas sofa in their dormitory so that he could look at Nygus. "He'll have a better life here at Shibusen. No doubt he has great potential to become a strong warrior if his father was White Star."

"That's what worries me, Sid," Nygus said quietly.

He sighed. "He's too young to have been influenced by White Star, Mira. He's got the potential, and here he can put that potential to good use." He glanced down at the baby boy, who was now beginning to drift off, and smiled at him with a mixture of fondness and determination. "I'll teach him everything I know."

Now it was Nygus' turn to laugh. "No wonder you're everyone's favorite teacher, Sid."

Sid lifted his shoulders and sat up proudly. "That's just the kind of man I am!" he declared confidently. A little too confidently, as the sound of his voice suddenly caused the child to stir. As it became apparent from the sudden tensing of his shoulders that Sid had no idea how to put a baby back to sleep, Nygus gently lifted the child from Sid's arms and slowly rocked him back to sleep in her lap. "Hmm... I guess this sort of makes you a dad now, huh?"

Sid choked. "W-w-w-well, I don't know i-if you could really call me a, a _dad_, per se," he began, more flustered than he'd ever been in his life, "I-I mean I'm only 20! A-and-- " He was stopped short by Nygus' burst of laughter, which startled him even further due to the fact that his partner rarely ever laughed out loud to begin with. That she should laugh more often fleetingly crossed his mind. She had a very cute, child-like laugh that juxtaposed her usually stern demeanor. Sid couldn't help but grin in spite of himself as well, although still reeling somewhat from the idea that he would probably be the only father figure in this child's life.

"Sid, if there's anything I've learned about you," Nygus said, a residual smile still remaining, "it's that you're a very admirable person." Her expression suddenly fell serious. "You're one of the noblest men I've ever met, and if anyone should have the privilege of raising a child, it's you." Sid marveled at how quickly Nygus' demeanor could change from that of girlish lightheartedness to stoic respect in a very short amount of time. Still, he knew she was being truthful.

"Thanks," he murmured humbly, although still somewhat embarrassed by Nygus' words. He idly rubbed the sleeping baby's bald head, and grinned, amused, when the tiny thing let out a heavy sigh, as though the weight of the world had fatigued him.

"What are you going to name him?" Nygus asked softly.

Suddenly it occured to Sid that the baby still did not have a name. He quickly flipped through a mental list of all the male names he could imagine, but none seemed fitting enough for the child. He glanced around the room, hoping for any utensils, appliances, or brand names that could lead him to a good name for the baby. Nothing. Finally, Sid looked back down at the boy, still sleeping in Nygus' lap, and noticed a tiny tattooed outline of a star on his right arm, which was peeking out from the blankets. Nygus noticed as well.

"Oh, what about... " she began.

"Black Star," Sid finished.


End file.
